I used Judy’s Magic Cast On for the first time on these. I’m not sure how magic it is, I found the first row of stitches extremely tight and difficult to work. On the other hand, it’s nice not to have to bother with waste yarn and a crochet hook for a provisional cast-on. I’ll try it again and see if I can do any better.

These were originally going to be for myself, but then I needed a Christmas present for my mom and she loves handknit socks, so I finished them posthaste. Now I really want a pair of my own, because they turned out so nice!